Transcript

MFM Mini - How to Turn Any Bad Experience into a Good One

Some of you might have heard me tell this story before, but I'm gonna do it again. Um This is a story that my trainer told me. My coach, my trainer Uh basically I hired this guy to uh to help me lose weight and he Yeah, we work out, but we also, you know, as he likes to say, we also work in, meaning he

mental coach while doing physical personal training. Anyways. He was like, uh he came over and I said, uh I was like, What's up? How's your day? He goes Dude, you won't believe my day. I said, Well, I said, What happened? And he goes.

So I've been On the down low stressing about my car. For like Two years. I said, What what's wrong with your car? He goes, Nothing's wrong with my car What's wrong with my car is that my license has been expired for two years.

And every time I drive it. There's this little part of me that's like, Oh God, I hope I don't get pulled over and have this expired license. It's gonna be such a pain in the ass. And the only thing worse than That is

Going to the D M V and actually getting a new license. So I haven't done it for two years. So I said, Okay, well what happened this morning? He goes, I went to the D M V I said, Well, why did you go? What happened? What changed? He goes, Well, I woke up this morning and I felt that same underlying stress, right? These like

Everybody knows what stress is like when there's a Like'em. big hairy problem or something. Really Big looming.

But those aren't the real killers. The real killers are the silent um persistent stresses. Or the things you just live with day in and day out. They just eat at you. They just They they become a part of you.

And he goes, I kinda noticed it was there. And I decided all right, I'm getting rid of this today. I'm not living with this. All right, I'm going to the DMV. So he said, Well, if I'm gonna go to the D M V, I'm gonna go to the M V on my terms. What does that mean? So

He said. He went on Yelp and he looked up his local DMV. And uh Like you might guess. Not the best ratings. So I think it was like a two, two and a half star. Yeah, rating on Yelp.

He goes, Okay. The DMV is a two and a two two and two and a half star experience for most people. I'm gonna have a five star experience. I said what? He goes.

Yeah, I decided I'm gonna have a five star experience with DMV. I'm So how are you gonna do that? I'm gonna be a five star customer. So uh what w what do you mean? He goes, I'm gonna walk in there like I'm a

Five star customer. And I'm gonna have a five star experience. I said, Okay, so what happened? He goes, So I He goes, I got dressed I got excited, I went to the DMV. Like people go when they're going to a party, when they're going to their best friend's, you know, dinner party, or you know, they're going to the game. And uh they're full of excitement. He goes, I got myself into that state of mind.

And then I went to the DMV. And I went to the DMV and I walked in. And I was greeting people. And I was just excited I was on one. And

He goes, sure enough, I get to the DMV and I see the two and a half star experience. I see the long line. Of depressed people, right? Like You know, it's like that Louis C K joke that Everybody in line for Cinnabon looks the same. They all hate themselves.

Uh yeah, that's what the DMV line looked like. And Sure enough, as he walks in, somebody uh this woman who's working there goes Uh w w Can I help you? Because he's

Didn't look like everybody else at the at the place. He was smiling, he was walking around, he was Posture was right. Make an eye contact and uh he goes he goes, Yeah, you might be able to help me out. I've been putting off coming here for two years.

And uh I need to get my my license renewed. Um Yeah. Who's who's the be who's the best person in this place to help me out? She goes, I I can help you, come here.

Cuts em cuts the line. Takes him on the side. Takes him to the counter. Normally two years expires, you gotta take the written test again. He didn't study, he doesn't know we don't nobody remembers that shit. And uh But

Things have started to go his way this day. So she takes him, cuts the line, and renews his license without having to take the test again, the written formal test. He obviously knows how to drive, he's been driving. Twenty, thirty years or whatever.

And uh He gets his l gets his thing, she makes a joke. Um, you know, she touches his arm, ooh like Look at that arm. Oh my God, you're you got muscles. And he starts laughing, and he's you know, he's flirting with her, she's starting with him. And uh

He tells her, You know what? uh gives her a compliment on the way out'cause he's being a five star customer. He's being the type of customer who would have a five star experience. And um And then he he walks out of there.

Fifteen minutes later, license renewed. And he had a five star experience, and so he shared this with me, and I'm sharing it with you. Because I thought this was amazing. I've been to a lot of self help talks, I've been to seminars, I've read the books.

Watching somebody or hearing somebody go to the DMV and have a great time. That meant something. And it reminded me of the truth. The truth is that you get to choose your experience. In any given situation, you could be waiting in line. You could be delayed, you could have gotten stood up on a date. You get to choose what experience you're gonna have.

That's a better question to ask. Most people ask themselves questions like Sh Why did this happen? Why is this person such a jerk? Why don't they get it?

Why is everybody so annoying today? Blah blah blah. Right? We ask ourselves terrible questions and then we get terrible answers. Better question. And what experience do I wanna have right now? What experience do I wanna have? Today.

Do you want to have a boring experience or a fun experience? I'll take fun, right? Do you want to have it hard and painful? You wanna have it speedy and easy. I'll take speedy and easy, please. You get to choose the experience you're gonna have. And when you choose the experience before you go into it You will start looking for evidence. Of that experience rather than the the the latter, right? If he went to the D M V looking for a two and a half star experience, I guarantee he could have found it.

But instead he went in for a five star experience, looked for people who would give him a five star experience. He carried himself as a five star customer and therefore attracted a five star experience. We can do that in any situation. So that's a little mini superpower. The ability to choose your experience and critically

To not expect the world to give you that experience. But to carry yourself. In that mood, in that state. To be a five star customer rather than A one star customer.

who's pissed off they're not getting five star service. Be a five star customer. Have a five star experience. All right, that's it. That's the lesson of the day. Storytime with Sean. Hope you guys liked it. If you like these little mini episodes, I'll keep doing'em.